Half and Empty [Open Thread - Especially to his friends!]

[poetryinfashion]

WHO: Hitachiin Kaoru {Alone at the moment}
WHAT: Cheering-up session ... or something like that.
WHERE: Eagle's Splendour
WHEN: 2nd Day after the ball

Comments

[kocho_blade]

Susumu had to admit, that after sleeping, the world seemed a much less dismal place. When he had awoken, his body had felt relaxed and energized. His shoulder had even felt better, thanks to the salve and bandages Lucretia had applied. The gauze was still wrapped protectively over his wound, visible through the slashed fabric of his dark clothing. His stomach felt better with food in it as well, the meal had been fresh and good. Different than what he was used to, but wasn't everything in this place?

He nodded as Lucretia spoke, gathering as much information mentally as he could. Clothing. He would need to eventually get new clothes, he couldn't walk around in the same bloodstained ninjutsu gear that he had arrived in. Thankfully he hadn't met anyone from his time or place, who would easily be able to recognize the uniform of his kind.

"I briefly read what had happened in the diary. That his brother was taken by force, despite not being one of the resistants." Susumu felt a pang, and a sense of.. empathy? It had only been a week since Ayumu's body had been found. Beaten, bloody and lying face down in a puddle of gore in the rain. His sister had deserved better than that, ninja or not. He knew his kind died all the time in the call of duty, but Ayu-nee had been more than a Ninja to the Shinsengumi, unlike himself. Her funeral had been well-attended, though he had barely shown his face.

"I" Susumu pressed his lips together into a line, almost as if thinking a moment before being able to express what he wanted to say. "I feel for him."

[poetryinfashion]

The knock at the door was startling. After a long conversation with Kuja, Kaoru had finally decided to take a nap.

Sitting up in bed and amazed he'd even slept at all, he rubbed his eyes as he called out, "It's open. Probably."

Not like he really cared who came in, at this point; they hadn't done much to furnish the place.

[roman_tragedy]

Lucretia looked across to Susumu for a quiet moment as her hand rested on the door's handle, a small and almost sad smile upon her features. She didn't know the details of his background and all that had brought the young man to that point in time, but his few words were telling enough.

"Me too."

Pushing the door open, Lucretia quietly peeked in to be sure that the face matched the voice before entering completely. She moved aside with the swing of the portal to allow Susumu to follow before closing it behind him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. We brought you some food." Lucretia first apologized before glancing between Kaoru and Susumu. "This is my friend, Kaoru." She told Susumu before making sure to check with the quiet boy, in a discreet way to give him an initiative, even, "Would it be all right to tell him your name?"

[kocho_blade]

Kaoru looked the same age as him. The boy looked exhausted, his face shadowed with despair and worry. It was obvious that he wasn't handling the 'loss' of his brother. The two had seemed very close from the little he had read, and what Lucretia had told him. Ayumu and him had never been close, but there was still a blood-tie. Would it have felt even worse if they had been? Susumu didn't want to know, or think about it. He thought about her too much as it was.

The Ninja walked to a small table in the room, putting the bag of fresh foodstuffs onto the surface. There was soup, sandwiches and even some muffins. He had never tasted anything like them before, it had been a new experience. Susumu seemed to be having a lot of first times lately. Maybe now would be the time for another one.

At Lucretia's question, he stiffened, though mentally forced himself to relax. Kaoru was the woman's friend, and it would be ..impolite to treat the suffering boy as he would a stranger. Not that it was really polite then either.

"My name is Susumu." Kaoru's name was Japanese, but he didn't look it. Was he from another time and version of Japan? The Ninja didn't know what to say next, he felt as if something should be added to it. He inwardly cursed himself for being so awkward, acting like a shy child when he was a perfectly capable adult. In most cases. "The soup is good." Susumu felt stupid as soon as the words left his lips, and turned away from the two to grimace and unpack the bag of food.

[poetryinfashion]

"Lucretia, you really didn't need to do that-" But his stomach betrayed him and let out a groan anyway. "I'm sorry for my appearance... let me at least put my pants on..."

He pushed himself out of bed despite his utter lack of energy. Supporting himself on the end-table, he bent down to grasp the loose pants and roughly shoved one leg in, then the other. He quickly wrapped the cloth belt around his waist and tied it off on his right side.

"And Susumu-san? Hajimemashite. Douzo yoroshiku.[*]" He bowed to the man with the Japanese-sounding name before moving to stand closer to the two other people in the room. He frowned slightly at Lucretia. "I appreciate your kindness, but this is a little much..." For me to eat all by myself. It was left unsaid because that was customary vagueness in the Japanese language, but it was left implied because Kaoru didn't want to continue saying depressing things in front of someone so kind as Lucretia. He'd done enough of that when Kuja had visited early in the morning.

[*Pleased to meet you (for the first time) / make your acquaintance. Please look on me with favor.]

[roman_tragedy]

Lucretia had only shaken her head with a small smile as if to dismiss any embarrassment, on either parties, to appearances. As far as she knew, she had no reason to be. Perhaps it was because she understood that she was much older and thus mature, supposedly. But it was mostly because she felt close enough. The same could be thought of Susumu and she had only met him the night of the ball. A somewhat unique situation, but a reassuring thought.

Listening closely and with interest to the foreign words, she could safely assume that the exchange was a greeting, or at least something reserved for first time meetings. She was glad that they seemed to be getting along amiably enough to begin with, noting Susumu's effort. In reply to Kaoru's mention of the food, she only set her hand on Kaoru's shoulder to guide him back toward the table where the food had been set.

"If it's too much, you can save it for later. Or.. we can help you with some of it," she suggested light heartedly. As if the portions were meant to be shared to begin with. It was always more enjoyable to eat with others. She and Susumu had eaten a bit prior, but with the foods found in Rivelata, Lucretia had no trouble with more. It could have been a bit dangerous if she didn't watch herself. Not that she had ever had a problem with eating too much.

He didn't have to discuss anything he wasn't comfortable with, or wasn't up for. But there was no use pretending that there was something wrong.

"Actually, I was also hoping that we might be able to figure out how to get Hikaru back together," She suggested, not quite sure what his plans were thus far. Losing Hikaru was terrible, but to lose both of them would be nothing short of disastrous.

[kocho_blade]

Susumu was surprised to hear the boy speak. Not because it was Japanese, but because it sounded so.. different. It was the same language he was used to, but not. Kaoru was most certainly from Japan, but was it Susumu's Japan?
The bow also, was something unexpected. Susumu was a Ninja, they were given no respect or honorifics- they were unknown. Ninja were meant and raised to kneel before the masters that commanded them. Not the other way around.

He returned the bow to Kaoru, albeit a little bit clumsily. Susumu felt like an idiot again, but it was becoming a daily occurrence. Maybe he would get used to it, though the better option would be becoming less awkward.
The Ninja had set out all the food on the table, unwrapping the loaves of bread and squares of cheese for Kaoru to see and choose from. Pulling a knife from a hidden pocket in his kimono, he casually balanced a roll of sausage on the tip of the blade before slicing it in two neatly from the air.
There was more than enough food for all three, and the boy looked like he hadn't eaten since his brother had disappeared.

"If you don't eat to regain your strength, you won't get him back." It sounded harsh as it left his lips, but he hoped the intention behind it could still be felt. "We.. Will all need to make sure we are healthy." A bit hypocritical, but Susumu had agreed to go to the clinic.

[poetryinfashion]

Kaoru smiled weakly while looking at the food. "I would certainly enjoy your company - both of you, that is - for a meal." He watched in fascination as the young man cut the sausage. "That was... very cool, what you did just there. You must be some kind of chef, ne Susumu-kun?"

[kocho_blade]

"No." A pause, and he twirled the knife between his gloved fingers, dancing it over his knuckles before slipping it back into his palm. "I guess you could say, I am handy with blades." The Ninja felt a little flicker of warmth at the compliment, a feeling he rarely experienced. "This skill is also useful for cooking though." A flick of the wrist, and he dashed a carrot into smaller pieces.

[poetryinfashion]

"This place does certainly manage to help us apply our skills in unique ways," Kaoru remarked. "Well, I think I should get us some tableware then. If you will excuse me..."

He very swiftly left to go downstairs, where the dishes had been left to dry from the last time he'd eaten with Hikaru... Miss Ciel, her neices, Hikaru, Selphie, and Amu-chan. They'd eaten lunch together before everyone had left for the ball.

Furrowing his brow, Kaoru grabbed three sets of silverware and three dishes, then rushed upstairs so as to avoid thinking about the matter any further. No sooner had he placed the dishes on the table than his eyes shot open again. "Oh! We'll need another chair..." He rushed back downstairs, grabbing the stool from behind the desk and lifting it with both hands as he walked back upstairs.

After setting the chair down, Kaoru stood back and put both hands forward, slipping into Host-mode. "Please be seated."

He was smiling again.